Where to train
cstam80,
Since you seem to have both the time and the money, I would comment as follows.
Anywhere has got to be better than the UK! Flying here is far too expensive and bad weather can run away with months of your time. Last year I booked a whole week's flying six times (yes 6) in six months and had to scrub every single time solely because of weather. It has taken me fourteen months so far to re-validate my expired PPL. It has cost me a bl**y fortune and I am still not finished yet! I bitterly regret not going overseas to do it.
In general, the Southern hemisphere is better than the Northern hemisphere because there are fewer landmasses to interfere with airflow across the hemisphere. This makes weather much more stable.
If you can't go to SA, Aus or NZ, then the States or Canada are next best. Expect to spend about £300 on security beaurocracy to get into the States (consequence of 9/11).
There are other, less frequented places such as Cyprus, Argentina, Spain, etc. You will have to check this website for comments on those.
If you decide, as most do, to go to Florida, get advice from those who know the place about when to go to avoid bad weather seasons.
Read through the posts on this website about the various training establishments. There are some very good ones and some very bad ones.
A friend of mine went to Debenair at Titusville, Florida, and speaks very highly of them.
As long as you obtain your PPL from an ICAO country, you do not have to obtain a JAA licence on your return. You can fly indefinitely on your ICAO licence in 'G' reg aircraft (and probably 'N's as well). It is only if you wish to go for a CPL or ATPL that you will need a JAA PPL licence.
Do budget for doing about 15 or 20 hours dual on your return to the UK. Our weather is a nightmare and our airspace is busy and conjested. Put the two together and standards have to be high. Any UK club you join will want to satisfy themselves that you are up to it, coming in from abroad. Overseas schools have a patchy reputation with their UK counterparts, (not always fairly).
Good luck,
Broomstick.